Sonos

'Sonos' Reviews

Sonos is a well-regarded brand known for creating some of the best multi-room home speaker setups, and in late 2015, the company debuted its latest product, a second-generation Play:5. The original Play:5 (once called the S5) came out in 2009, so the new Play:5 marks a long overdue update that brings a new design and better sound.
As someone new to the Sonos ecosystem, the Play:5 (paired with a set of Play:1 speakers) is the first Sonos speaker I've tested in my home. After a month breaking it in, I finally understand why Sonos is such a popular brand and is regarded as the best system for iPhone-compatible whole house audio.
Priced at $499, the new Play:5 isn't cheap, but that price point includes a hassle-free user experience and impressive audio. As covered in the review below, there are some downsides to buying into the Sonos line, but its ease of use, sound, and multi-speaker pairing capabilities make it largely a win for those ready to shell out the cash for a quality sound system.

'Sonos' Articles

Sonos today introduced several new speaker bundles, which are designed to allow customers to purchase more than one Sonos speaker at a discounted price.
The new bundles range in price from $379 to $1,899 depending on the products included, with discounts up to $157 on the highest priced bundles.
A two room set that includes two Sonos One speakers is priced at $379, for example, down from the regular price of $398 that the speakers would cost when purchased separately.
A two room pro set, which includes two of the Sonos Play:5 speakers, is priced at $899, almost $100 off the separate pricing.
Sonos has options for multi-room speaker setups and entertainment arrangements that include the Playbase and the Playbar, along with more expensive setups designed for vinyl records.
All of the new speaker bundles can be viewed and purchased on the Sonos website.
Sonos is one of Apple's main competitors, with the Sonos One, which includes support for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, designed to compete with the HomePod. Sonos first introduced bundles when the HomePod launched, selling two of the Sonos One speakers for $349, the same price as the HomePod. The new bundle that includes two Sonos One speakers is more expensive than that original deal, but, along with other offerings, allows for Sonos equipment to be purchased at a discounted price.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Sonos and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

When Sonos introduced the new Sonos One back in October, the company confirmed it would add AirPlay 2 support to Sonos speakers later in 2018.
At the time, Sonos did not specify which of its devices would support the new protocol, but Sonos has offered some clarification in the form of a new blog post that includes AirPlay 2 details.
According to Sonos, native AirPlay 2 support will be available on the Playbase, the newest version of the Play:5, and the Sonos One.
Older Sonos speakers will not support AirPlay 2 on their own due to processor limitations, but they can be paired with the Playbase, the Play:5, or the Sonos One to enable AirPlay 2 functionality. A Sonos Play:1 grouped with a Sonos One, for example, will support AirPlay 2.The computing platforms and software architecture in some of the older Sonos players like Play:3 and Play:1 simply don’t have the horsepower to support AirPlay 2. The original Play:1, for example, has about 1/16th the processing power of its modern equivalent, the Sonos One. But by taking advantage of newer Sonos hardware, we’re able to make AirPlay 2 funtionality available throughout the house on speakers old and new.
Apple thus far has not released AirPlay 2, despite the fact that it was first introduced as a feature of iOS 11 back in June of 2017. AirPlay 2 functionality was initially included in iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 betas, but it was pulled ahead of the release of those updates.
AirPlay 2 functionality is now included in iOS 11.4 and tvOS 11.4, but it is not yet clear if the features will be included in the final version of

Sonos today announced the upcoming debut of new color options for the Sonos One speaker, launching in addition to the device's current colors of white and black. Created in collaboration with Danish design brand HAY, the Sonos One will be available in red, yellow, and green in September 2018.
Although not mentioned specifically, the announcement of the new speaker colors also includes an image with a light pink speaker, so there could be additional colors coming as well. The update is focused on new colors and does not appear to include any changes or overhauls to other features of the Sonos One, but the price will be increased to $229/£229/€259, from $199/£199/€229 (via The Verge).
Inspired by the Danish company's 2018 color palette, the HAY Sonos One Limited Edition Collection will provide customers with a bit more personalization options for Sonos's latest speaker, according to representatives from both companies.
“Our speakers aren’t designed to claim attention but to blend naturally into their surroundings,” says Sonos VP of Design Tad Toulis. Even with the addition of colors to the typically black-and-white Sonos product line, the new HAY Sonos One still manages to maintain that aesthetic subtlety.
“These speakers deserve to be treated like furniture: strong, independent objects that fit different needs and spaces,” says Hay. By leveraging HAY’s singular approach to color, this limited edition collection fully realizes the Sonos philosophy of sonic architecture and harmonizes both brands’ ability to create products that can transform a home. Sonos announce

Apple's new HomePod is late to the smart speaker market, which is already crowded with speakers from companies like Amazon, Google, and Sonos. The latter two companies, Google and Sonos, have released speakers with high-quality sound and robust voice assistants, giving the HomePod some serious competition.
We decided to pit Apple's $349 HomePod against both the $399 Google Home Max, which comes with Google Assistant, and the $199 Alexa-powered Sonos One to see how the HomePod measures up.
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To compare the three speakers, we focused on design, sound quality, and the overall performance of Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.
When it comes to design -- and this is certainly subjective -- we preferred the look of the HomePod with its fabric-wrapped body and small but solid form factor. The Sonos One looks a little more dated with its squarer body and standard speaker mesh, while the Google Home Max has a much larger footprint that's going to take up more space.
Apple's HomePod
All three offer touch-based controls at the top of the device, but the Google Home Max has one design edge - a USB-C port and a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting external music sources. The Sonos One has a single Ethernet port, while the HomePod has no ports.
Though we liked the HomePod's design, Siri, as you might expect, did not perform as well as Alexa on Sonos One or Google Assistant on Google Home Max.
Google Home Max
On questions like "Is Pluto a planet?" or "What's the fastest car?" both Alexa and Google Assistant were

Consumer Reports has conducted some early audio testing of the HomePod, and while the full evaluation isn't yet finished, the site believes that both the $400 Google Home Max and the $200 Sonos One sound better than Apple's new $349 smart speaker.
The HomePod received a "Very Good" sound quality rating, as did the Sonos One and the Google Home Max, but the latter two speakers also received higher overall sound quality scores.
Consumer Reports says that its speaker tests are conducted in a dedicated listening room, with experienced testers who compare each model with "high-quality reference speakers." In the case of the HomePod, testers found a few issues.
The bass was "boomy and overemphasized," while midrange tones were "somewhat hazy," and treble sounds were "underemphasized." Overall, Consumer Reports found the HomePod's sound to be "a bit muddy" when played next to the Sonos One and the Google Home Max.The HomePod will serve many music fans well, but CR testers did hear some flaws. The HomePod's bass was a bit boomy and overemphasized. And the midrange tones were somewhat hazy, meaning that some of the nuance in vocals, guitars, and horns was lost: These elements of the music couldn't be heard as distinctly as in more highly rated speakers. Treble sounds, like cymbals, were underemphasized. But the HomePod played reasonably loudly in a midsized room.All three smart speakers "fall significantly short" of other wireless speakers Consumer Reports has tested, like the Edifier S1000DB, priced at $350.
The HomePod's sound has been highly praised both by new

To celebrate the official launch of the HomePod, Sonos, one of Apple's major competitors in the speaker market, made a "Welcome to the Party" playlist for the new device with a hidden message.
Shared on Twitter, the playlist features 21 songs, with each song selected for its title to send a secret note to Apple. Here's the song list:
Hello / Apple / Something About Us / Together / Feels Right / Even Though / You're Crazy / For This / Home / POD / Remember / Two Is Better Than One / Just Playing / It's a Party / Everybody's Coming To My House / Even You / Come As You Are / Fruit Machine / No Matter What You're Told / We're Going To Be Friends / Over Everything
Sending messages through Spotify playlists is a phenomenon that was popular for a brief time right around April of 2017, due to the way Spotify playlists can be arranged and displayed linearly on both the web and within Spotify's apps. The practice is less common now, and though Sonos is using it to send what appears to be a friendly message, it's also a jab at Apple.
Good luck with your #homepod launch @Apple. We made you a playlist. https://t.co/zh8KctGAJe— Sonos (@Sonos) February 9, 2018
The Sonos Spotify playlist made for Apple can't be played natively on an Apple HomePod because the HomePod is limited to content played from Apple Music or iTunes. It can, of course, be played using AirPlay from a connected Mac or iOS device, but that's less convenient than the native playback available via Sonos speakers.
Sonos hasn't had much competition in the high-end connected speaker market, and for

Sonos has announced a limited time sale launching tomorrow, January 26 in the United States and United Kingdom, bundling two of the company's Sonos One speakers together for $349/£349. Individual Sonos One devices cost $199 in the U.S., so the company's new sale offers $50 in savings.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Sonos. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The sale offers two Sonos Ones for the same price as Apple's $349 HomePod, and is debuting on the same day that customers will be able to pre-order the HomePod in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. With two Sonos Ones, users can have a stereo pair of speakers to enhance sound, or play music across multiple rooms -- two features HomePod will not have at launch.
"Sonos One sounds incredible on its own, but the ability to have a stereo pair or have music in two rooms vs. one at $349 US feels like it's an easy choice for those who truly love music," said Joy Howard, chief marketing officer at Sonos. "We believe in freedom of choice and don't want to lock people into a specific ecosystem – it's why we support more than 80 streaming services globally and will take an agnostic approach to voice assistants as well." Sonos One supports Amazon Alexa, and the company previously confirmed that Google Assistant is coming later this year. Support for Apple's AirPlay 2 protocol is planned for 2018 as well. Like other smart speakers, Sonos One can be controlled with voice and can read out information sourced from Alexa like the weather and

Earlier in October, Sonos announced its new smart speaker device, called the Sonos One, which will launch On October 24 with support for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. The Sonos One allows users to control the speaker entirely through voice, providing smart speaker capabilities into a music-focused device, similar to Apple's marketing for the upcoming HomePod.
Ahead of the October 24 launch, reviews for the Sonos One have been posted online, with many sites giving the new speaker a favorable review thanks to Sonos' expected high-quality playback, which becomes particularly useful with Alexa controls. Still, those voice commands are limited at launch with only a few music services supporting Alexa, making the Sonos One slightly harder to recommend for users not already in the Amazon ecosystem.
Engadget said that the Sonos One provides "significantly better" music quality than the likes of Google Home and Amazon Echo "without breaking the bank" at $199. The site elaborated that the Sonos One uses the same audio hardware as the company's Play:1 speaker, so users can expect "clear, dynamic and loud sound" when playing music, although the "low end is not as strong as what you'll get from larger (and more expensive) speakers."
Photo by Nathan Ingraham via Engadget
Engadget wrapped up by noting that while the speaker stumbled occassionally with voice controls and lacks support for Spotify voice commands and Google Assistant at launch, it's still "the best-sounding smart speaker you can buy."
The Play:1 has been Sonos' best-selling speaker, and with good reason. It

Sonos today introduced the Sonos One, an all-new smart speaker with six far-field microphones that allow it to work with digital assistants.
Sonos One can be controlled entirely with voice. At launch, it will support Amazon Alexa in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, including full voice support for Prime Music, iHeartRadio, Pandora, SiriusXM, and TuneIn. Alexa voice control for Spotify will be coming soon after launch.
Google Assistant support will be added in 2018, making the Sonos One the first smart speaker with support for multiple major assistants.
Sonos One can play music from more than 80 streaming services, including popular ones like Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Tidal, and Pandora. In addition, it supports other traditional Alexa capabilities related to the weather, timers, news and traffic reports, the latest sports scores, and more.
Sonos is releasing a free software update today that will enable many of its existing speakers to be controlled with Alexa as well. In the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Sonos owners can use any Alexa-enabled device like the Echo or Echo Dot to control the speaker with voice commands.
Sonos also announced that it will begin supporting Apple's AirPlay 2 in 2018, making it possible to play any sound from an iOS device on Sonos speakers. Apple users will also be able to control music on Sonos speakers with any Siri-enabled device, such as an iPhone, iPad, and the HomePod once it launches.
Sonos One comes in black or white, weighs four pounds, and has an illuminated LED

Sonos is gearing up to launch an all-new smart speaker that includes voice control functionality fueled by far-field microphones, picking up on user commands from anywhere in a room. The information was discovered in a filing with the FCC (via Zatz Not Funny), and hints that Sonos could be yet another company planning to enter the smart speaker market, following Amazon, Google, and Apple this December with HomePod.
The Sonos speaker will support "multiple voice platforms and music services," but the filing didn't specify which assistants and services that might be. Sonos has recently been gearing up for a wide integration with Amazon Echo, so Alexa could be a possibility. Sonos products are sold at Apple's retail and online stores, but that's not exactly an indication that a new Sonos voice-enabled speaker would include Siri support, especially since such a high-end music speaker would be a direct competitor to HomePod come December.
HomePod's various Apple Music commands
Zatz Not Funny theorized that the FCC filing hints at a "refresh of their [Sonos's] entire speaker line," as well as a touch surface or button of some kind to activate the voice assistant. Otherwise, the report is heavily redacted, leaving details sparse. The snippet referencing the new Sonos speaker reads as follows:
The EUT is 802.11 a/b/g/n (HT20) Client Device. Product model S13 is a high-performance all-in-one wireless smart speaker and part of Sonos’ home sound system. S13 adds integrated voice control functionality with far field microphones. Moreover, the device will support multiple

Sonos today announced the PLAYBASE, its newest speaker designed for home theater sound systems. According to Sonos, the PLAYBASE is a thin, powerful speaker that sits under a television set to offer enhanced sound for TV shows, music, and movies.
The PLAYBASE measures in at just 58mm tall, but it includes 10 drivers (six mid-range, three tweeters, and one woofer) for what Sonos says is great sound. Design wise, it's meant to meld into a home's decor, with a polycarbonate body that features clean lines, no visible seams, and 43,000 holes for a transparent grill.
"We have built a product that can not only handle the complexities of home theater - delivering open and natural sound, clear dialogue, and immersive bass that fills the room - but also fits perfectly in any home environment," said Giles Martin, Sound Experience Leader at Sonos. "The challenge with PLAYBASE was upholding the desire for it to be beautiful from all angles without compromising any of our design, acoustics or engineering principles. We were obsessive in our approach and decisions, resisting every urge to pack anything in here that wasn't needed, and custom built everything else to find the perfect fit - it's our thinnest, most beautiful speaker yet."PLAYBASE is specifically meant to be used with TVs that sit on furniture rather than those that are wall mounted. It includes two cords and connects to other Sonos speakers for a whole house sound solution. Like all Sonos products, it can be used with more than 80 music services.
Sonos will begin selling the PLAYBASE on April 4, 2017. It will be

Following their addition to Apple.com in the United States last month, Sonos speakers can now be purchased from Apple's website in several other countries.
Sonos Wi-Fi-connected PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 speakers are now available on Apple's online store in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Prices are set at $249 and $649 in Canada, $299 and $749 in Australia, £169 and £429 in the United Kingdom, and €229 and €579 in many other European countries. Prices may vary based on VAT and other regional taxes.
Apple is currently offering a free 3-month Apple Music gift card with the purchase of either speaker. The promotion is valid in the United States and all of the other aforementioned countries and runs until December 31.
Sonos speakers are also available at 468 physical Apple retail stores in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In-store purchases likewise qualify for the free 3-month Apple Music gift

Following their addition to Apple's online store in the United States in late September, Sonos speakers are now available at 468 physical Apple retail stores in both the U.S. and around the world. Sonos speakers have yet to appear on Apple's website in other countries, but they should be added in the coming weeks.
Sonos' wireless Wi-Fi-connected PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 speakers can be purchased from Apple for $199 and $499 respectively. Pricing in other countries includes $249 and $649 in Canada, $299 and $749 in Australia, £169 and £429 in the United Kingdom, and €229 and €579 in many other European countries.
In line with today's in-store launch, Apple has expanded its free 3-month Apple Music gift card offer with the purchase of a Sonos speaker to several countries, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The free 3-month Apple Music gift card offer is valid between today and December

Sonos today announced an expanded partnership with Apple, which will see its popular PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 speakers available for purchase from Apple's online store and Apple retail locations around the world.
Sonos is a popular brand known for offering Wi-Fi connected speakers that are excellent for multi-room home speaker systems. The PLAY:1 ($199) and the PLAY:5 ($499) are expensive speakers, but the simple setup, ease of use, and sound quality can't be beat.
"Our expanded collaboration with Apple is a great example of our ongoing work with our full ecosystem of partners to make it easier than ever to listen to music out loud at home," said Patrick Spence, president of Sonos. "Apple Music on Sonos is a powerful experience, one we're proud to bring directly to Apple fans at Apple Stores worldwide."Many Apple stores that sell Sonos systems will be offering hands-on in-store Sonos and Apple Music demos featuring the Sonos app on an iPad Pro.
As an incentive for new purchasers, those who buy a Sonos system from Apple between today and December 31 will get a free three-month Apple Music gift card.
The PLAY:1 and PLAY:5 will be available for purchase from Apple's online store later today, expanding to 468 retail stores around the world starting on October 5. Online availability in other countries is expected in the coming

Plex and Sonos today announced a new partnership that will see Sonos' speakers supporting Plex music playback through the Sonos Controller app. Starting this afternoon, Sonos users can access their full Plex music libraries and discover new music via Plex using the Sonos app.
For Plex customers who have a Plex Pass for premium Plex features, music collections are automatically organized by metadata and sonic fingerprinting.
With our brand new Sonos service, you can now browse and play your entire Plex music collection on any Sonos device, right from the Sonos app. This means you'll benefit from our awesome library and discovery features, and your personal music will look better than ever on Sonos. Even if your collection is a total mess, with sonic fingerprinting for our Plex Pass users and metadata for everyone else, you'll end up with a beautifully organized library.Plex for Sonos is in beta and thus can be accessed through the Sonos Labs section of the Sonos desktop app or the "Add Music Services" option on a mobile device after signing up for the Sonos Public Beta Program.
Sonos' wireless speakers are available from the Sonos website and start at $199. The Sonos Controller app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. Plex is a free service available from the Plex website, but premium features require a Plex Pass, priced at $4.99 per

Wireless audio company and Apple Music partner Sonos has announced it will lay off employees as it restructures the business towards a new focus on music streaming and voice control.
The reasoning behind the move came in a blog post yesterday by Sonos CEO John MacFarlane, who called it an "investment in the future of music" that would allow the company to remain profitable, but which came with "very difficult" consequences. No details were given on the extent of the job cuts.
MacFarlane said the change would first see Sonos "lean into" the area of paid streaming services, following an irreversible shift in the music ecosystem, led by Apple.
This past year, when Apple announced its entry with Apple Music, we saw and helped drive a dramatic acceleration of paid music subscriptions. With Apple's influence, the entire ecosystem – labels, artists, management – began to embrace and advance streaming all over the world.
Now, this shift is irreversibly started, and everyone in the ecosystem is adjusting to a world of streaming services. The Beatles library, now available on all the streaming services, is a perfect example of how labels are leaning into streaming.MacFarlane said the path forward for the music industry and for Sonos is "crystal clear" as he announced it was "doubling down" on streaming music, with an aim to build "incredibly rich experiences" as consumers inevitably grew dissatisfied with existing solutions for listening at home.
The CEO offered few details on the products or services that would be at the center of such experiences, but identified

Apple Music and Sonos have partnered to create a new ad that was shown during tonight's Grammy Music Awards. The commercial comes days after Apple Music officially launched on Sonos, allowing Sonos customers to stream Apple Music content and direct access to Apple Music features like For You, Radio and My Music.
The ad features musical artists Killer Mike, Matt Berninger and Annie Clark using Apple Music on Sonos speakers to "defeat silence" in their homes. The ad and its stars argue that sharing loud music in your home can promote creativity and happiness. Previously, Sonos conducted a study a study on the positive effects of music listening in the home. The study, which used an Apple Music subscription paired with a Sonos speaker, found that families who regularly listened to music in their home spent 67 percent more time together, ate meals together more often and other positive effects.
Streaming Apple Music on Sonos speakers can enabled by selecting "Add Music Services" from a Sonos controller app, selecting the Apple Music logo and logging into the service. Either an Apple Music subscription or free trial are

Sonos today announced that Apple Music will be officially available on Sonos wireless speakers starting tomorrow, ending a two month beta testing period. Sonos customers across the world will be able to stream Apple Music content and directly access Apple Music features including For You, Radio, and My Music.
Over the course of the beta test, which started on December 15, Apple Music on the Sonos platform was tested by hundreds of thousands of listeners. Apple's Eddy Cue commented on the beta test, calling it "great" and an "amazing listening experience."
"The feedback from Apple Music members on Sonos during the beta period has been great," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "Sonos plus Apple Music provides an amazing listening experience at home - and we're excited to offer it to all Sonos customers starting tomorrow."Beginning Wednesday, February 10, streaming Apple Music on Sonos speakers can be done by selecting "Add Music Services" from a Sonos controller app, choosing the Apple Music icon, and logging into the service. An Apple Music subscription or free trial is required.
Apple Music on Sonos has been highly anticipated as it was noticeably absent from the system when Apple Music first launched on June 30. Sonos previously supported the direct streaming of Beats Music and promised to implement Apple Music support before the end of 2015.
Ahead of the announcement of official Apple Music support, Sonos conducted a study on the positive effects of music listening in the home using an Apple Music subscription

A public beta of Apple Music on Sonos is now available, allowing those who own Sonos wireless speakers to use them with Apple's streaming music service for the first time since it launched in June.
The companion Sonos Controller app for iPhone and iPad was updated today with beta support for Apple Music, providing you with access to your streaming music library and playlists for playback in multiple rooms.
Sonos has posted step-by-step instructions on how to join the Apple Music beta program on its website:How to join the beta program:
1. Open the Sonos app
2. Tap “Settings” then “Advanced Settings”
3. Tap “Beta Program”
4. Tap “Join the Beta Program”
5. Update your Sonos system*
6. Add Apple Music from the “Add Music Services” menu
*“Update Now” prompt may take up to 15 minutes to appear. Tap “Online Updates” in the Settings menu to update immediately.Sonos users can stream songs from For You, New, Radio and My Music through Sonos apps on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Windows PC. The beta will be limited in some areas compared to the final version slated for release in early

Sonos today announced an update to its Sonos Controller app that will bring a new feature called "Trueplay" to its customers worldwide. The update allows users to fine tune their Sonos speakers, even if the devices are placed in poorly pitched areas of the room, so that the devices sound as good as they would in a higher audio quality setting.
Trueplay uses the microphone in your iPhone or iPad and a quick setup process to ensure your Sonos speakers always sound their best, whether you’ve placed one on the most perfect pedestal or hid one inside your kitchen cabinet above the coffee grinder. Now you can violate one of those audiophile rules and put your speakers where you actually want them: behind, above, under or inside and still get awesome sound. The company promises that the new Trueplay feature will make any compatible Sonos speaker (including PLAY:1, PLAY:3, and PLAY:5) sound great whether they're "on the most perfect pedestal" or even behind a muffled door. Once the update to the Sonos Controller app is downloaded, a prompt for Trueplay guides the user through a 30-second tutorial that walks them around a specified room and sends the data back to the Sonos speaker for better quality sound.
Sonos ensured the calibration process would be user-friendly by layering in the possibility for external sounds to muffle the tuning -- a dog barking, or subtle wind noises picked up by the iPhone speakers -- and making sure the speaker didn't account for the sounds in the final stages of calibration. The company aims for Trueplay to keep all of its speakers on the cutting

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